Celebrating Matariki - Colourful Lanterns

Matariki is almost here!  Winter is officially too.  This mornings walk on the beach in the fine, crisp weather was refreshing and rejuvenating, evoking much reflection and gratitude for where we live, how we live and what we love.  And so is the meaning of Matariki - what an awesome time of year!

"During Matariki, we celebrate our unique place in the world. We give respect to the whenua (land) on which we live, and admiration to our mother earth, Papatūānuku.

Throughout Matariki, we learn about those who came before us. Our history, our family, our bones.

Matariki signals growth. It's a time of change. It's a time to prepare, and a time of action. During Matariki, we acknowledge what we have and what we have to give.

Matariki celebrates the diversity of life. It's a celebration of culture, language, spirit and people.

Matariki is our Aotearoa Pacific New Year."  (an explanation from The Maori Language Commission)

It really excites me that we in Aotearoa have an opportunity to reflect at this time of year on our past and future.  Almost six months from our summer New Year celebrations we get a chance to ignite or reignite our aspirations.

Matariki describes the dawning of the cluster of stars also known as Pleiades - the seven sisters.  From the Maori perspective they are a whanau of seven - Mother and six daughters.

This Mummy and her one daughter have been making lanterns as one way of celebrating Matariki.

The lanterns are glass jars, covered in torn tissue paper of various colours and lit by a tea light candle.  Beautiful and simple.  A great result can be achieved by someone as little as K or as old as her Mumma!!

Our lanterns light our dinner table and perch upon our night blue voile.  I have just started making my own voile, inspired again by the Steiner.  K just loves her colourful voile - to dance with, to dress up in, as blankets for her babies, to make huts.......and more!

This weekend will mark the beginning of Matariki celebrations with a new moon.  Why not make some lanterns to light your way while you star gaze or make a star shaped kite to fly or take a walk in our beautiful country and reflect on where we have come from and what our future might hold - our iti whanau will be x

The Easter Hare is Here!!

Finally, we have a festive/seasonal setting for our table!  This was a goal I made in my first blog post at the beginning of the year.

Here he is... the Easter Hare!  Complete with eggs and a grassy patch.

I wanted this to double as story props for K and I to play out this part of Easter.  This morning she put her toys to sleep in her home made hut, while she and the Easter Hare hid the eggs for them to find.  Very special to watch as she tried to ram the hare, grassy patch, toys and eggs in her basket for Easter!

I have been reading a enlightening book about rhythms, seasons and festivals from our Steiner Playgroup library.  It is chocca full of history about celebrations and festivals, seasons, recipes, poems, stories and crafts.  Our Easter Hare has been knitted, while the eggs were crocheted using Kate's pattern from Greedy for Colour.   Thanks Kate!  I  became a little braver again this time round with my crochet and tried to modify patterns to make a smaller egg and the grassy patch.

Easter Hare ... not Easter Bunny?  Well apparently the hare was the original creature to be given the  responsibility to deliver the hope of new life (represented by the egg).  The Hare possessed qualities such as speed, agility, is transient, is bold and courageous in his upright stance. His long ears suggest a wide and intelligent interest in the world and in folklore he is invested with the virtue of self-sacrifice.  I guess you need those strong qualities to deliver the sign of new life and so I would like to try and recognise that by celebrating the Easter Hare with our family. It has already been hard though because the bunny is so widely accepted as the creature with which we celebrate Easter.  Not to worry, it is the qualities and virtues of the symbol that I am most excited about.

I am really looking forward to Easter with our family this year.  I will post some of more of our traditions before then.  Hope you are enjoying the build up to a lovely family holiday too x

Organic Learning and Growing

I love Wednesdays!  By the time Wednesday arrives I am usually tired and a little tangled.  K and I pack up for our morning playgroup visit at our local Rudolf Steiner School.  We are always greeted with smiles and warm tea.  The hillside upon which the school and farm sit is always sun drenched and we are immediately surrounded by living and growing produce.  Not only does the environment brighten my day, the time to watch my daughter grow does too, along with the mind and soul nourishing connections I get to make with the people at play group.

K (21months)  is making huge social development growth at the moment - a stage that is wonderful to observe.  She has always been one of those children who love the attention of adults so to see her interact with other children is beautiful.  Today was one of sharing, tolerance, listening and watching for her peers needs, turn taking, pushing carts together.  She and her new friend Maddie (two)  pushed their cart so fast down a slope that K hurt her foot.  She cried.  She really cried - for Mum.  However she bravely accepted the offer of Maddie's teddy and and cuddle from her.  All sorted they moved on to "peke peke" into the sand pit together.    Holding hands to circle time, K sang and made the actions to our songs then enjoyed our shared morning tea.  Just beautiful to watch.

Our group of parents are diverse but share the common interest into that which is Steiner.  Today I had two enriching discussions.

What is your constitution?

Maryanne - first time Mum and first time Steiner - er, just like me shared why we were contemplating this type of learning environment for our children.  She explained her awesome relationship with her friend who is a naturopath. Maryanne's son has a sulpher constitution.  He is quite, a thinker and approaches his world quite uniquely.   With a constitution of this type she is exploring the more holistic approach of Steiner for him which may allow his strengths to flourish, where state school may inhibit him by placing stress on him.  I just love how we can if we choose grow to understand how we as individuals are made up and deeply care about directions we can take or offer to our children. This small seed has given me the motivation to revisit the naturopath path I begin a year ago.  Perhaps understanding my daughters and my own constitution will strengthen my parenting.

Unschooling

Recently our media has given attention to the concept of "unschooling".   I think it is great that people are challenging and raising strongly based philosophies of life which they hold.  "Unschooling" is not new.  The principals of the concept are shared by Steiner I think.  My teaching philosophy also.  However the way schooling has been designed years ago on a factory based model has been restrictive to unschooling concepts which I believe are enduring.  Our second discussion at playgroup today was a sharing of what it is about Steiner education that is of benefit.  I heard concepts being shared such as holistic, creative, stage development rather than age development, the child first, allowing children to be children, recreating, social development of great importance, warmth, awareness of our world and others.  These concepts sit well with me, they are concepts to which are achievable in the state school sector however, it takes courageous teachers. leaders or communities to embrace these - in my opinion.

I really do love our Wednesdays for re grounding me in the pursuit of what I value and strive for - organic growing and learning.